The Spider and Her Prey
by Jason Quill
Summary: Lena Oxton is a rather average girl, something she likes quite a bit. The bartender at the Rat and Hog pub and frequent jogger, she always seemed like an average joe. So why does the wanted serial killer, Amélie Lacroix also known as The Widowmaker, have such an interest in her?
1. The Fly in the Web

What woke her up was the clicking of something on her hardwood floor.

What got her attention was the sound coming towards her.

What made her eyes snap open was her bedroom door opening.

Lena Oxton, the bartender at the somewhat popular Rat and Hog pub, was nothing special. She was simply a normal Brit with rather messy brown hair and hazel brown eyes. She wasn't that much of a looker, though that wasn't saying she lacked the looks, they were simply average if a bit more prominent in her rear end. She lived in an apartment building that wasn't that big, but not that small. Just average.

So she did not understand why someone would break into her apartment, she owned nothing of notable value. A medium sized tv wasn't exactly worth much in this day and age. Her train of thought, however, was quickly derailed as her eyes went to her bedroom door, and hazel brown met the brightest eyes she had ever seen. The woman's eyes were shining gold, but they held no warmth in them, no true feelings inside of them at all.

She was dressed in a rather casual outfit, a dark purple, almost black, sweater and tight black jeans that showed her long, toned legs that seemed to go on forever. She was beyond attractive, wide, shapely hips that led up to a slim waist, only to widen out into two large breasts. She was the pure definition of an hourglass figure. And then there was that beautiful, aristocratic face with long, dark purple hair tied in a high ponytail.

But then the still half asleep girl noticed the woman's skin was not pale, nor dark, but a shade of blue that made her skin look cold to the touch, though her lips were a dark purple from what must have been lipstick. Said lips, which Lena found herself staring at a bit too much, curved up into a smirk, which seemed just as hollow as her eyes. And then her lips parted, and a thickly accented voice made its way into Lena's ears.

"Well, I did not expect you to wake, ma chérie." She cooed, and Lena felt her insides squirm from the sound of the intruder's voice.

"Uh...well, I've always been a bit of a light sleeper!" She said with a weak smile, wondering why she wasn't currently trying to book it to her fire escape.

"Je peux voir ça." She hummed, her hand moving to cover a hollow sounding giggle. Her hand moving drew Lena's eyes downward, and she felt a cold hand suddenly clench her heart. The woman's hands were covered by simple white gloves, but in her left hand was a dangerously sharp knife, clean of any rust or show of age. And it would seem the women had seen her eyes glance at the knife in her hand, and her smile grew so much more real.

"What is your name, dear? I like to know the names of my le gibier." She said, twirling the knife around in her fingers with ease. She could feel beads of sweat already forming on her body, even if the room was rather cool. The worst part was how the woman didn't seem to mind waiting, as she simply leaned onto the ajar door, cold gold eyes locked on Leans now slightly trembling form.

"W-Who are y-" She stopped speaking, however, when she suddenly found the tip of a knife near her left eye, and after a second a loud squeal left her lips as she jumped back, hitting the wall with the back of her head. The woman's eyes changed into what must have been irritation while she tilted her head, a frown on her lips.

"I believe I asked you a question, chère." She said with a cold stillness in her voice. Lena gulped, her hand reached up to clench her throbbing chest, heart running a mile a minute.

"L-Lena Oxton." She stuttered out, eyes still locked onto the knife in the woman's hand, now glinting in the moonlight shining in from her window. The frown on the women's lips turned into a smile that could only be labeled sickly sweet and her eyes finally showed a form of emotion, sadistic glee.

"There, was that so hard?" She hummed while placing a knee on the bed, making it give a light creak while Lean felt her heart picking up some more. Then she moved faster than Lena could blink and she found the woman's face inches from her own and a stinging pain in her shoulder. The tip of the knife had dipped into her soft pale skin, and a bead of crimson fluid started to slowly run down her arm.

A hiss left Lena's lips as the pain finally registered, and she did what first came to mind. Pulling her head back until it was touching the wall, she caught her would be killer in the head with her own, a thud able to be heard between the two. The Blue Woman let out a surprised gasp as she reeled back, falling off the bed and onto the floor. Now nursing a bruise that would no doubt make itself known later, she quickly jumped off her bed and ran out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

Her eyes quickly locked onto the large window at the end of her living room, and she started to run towards it, and faster once she heard the sound of the door behind her slamming open. She stopped for only a moment, working on the latch lock that held the window close. Once it was open, she grabbed the ledge to open it, only to feel a hand grab her roughly by her spiky brown hair and she was thrown back.

Her back landed on her coffee table and she felt the air rush out from her lungs as the blue skinned woman slammed a knee into her chest. She barely moved her head in time before she heard a loud thunk, a pretty looking blade now embedded where her face had just been, and instead sliced through her ear, a yelp leaving her lips.

"Bloody hell!" She screamed, both in fear and to hopefully wake a neighbor. She then grabbed the woman by the leg she had on her chest and pushed her off, causing her to let out a grunt while Lena jumped off the table and ran towards the fire escape. Throwing the window open she climbed out, the night quiet around her.

Panting she started to run down stair after stair, her heart feeling like it might burst with how fast it was beating. And it almost did burst when she heard another set of footsteps on the metal escape, twice as fast as her. Her mind was running a mile a minute and she swore she could feel that blade on the nape of her neck.

Finally, she reached the ladder and, throwing all logical reason through the window, jumped from the last platform of the fire escape. And she felt a few locks of her hair get cut off as the mad woman took a swipe at her.

"Fille naïve!" She heard the woman yell down at her, and she finally hit the ground and thanked her lucky stars as her legs seemed intact though the pain in her ankle did not bode well. Ignoring all that she started to run as fast as she could, and basked in the light of King's Row, running across the street and towards the other side of the road.

Once there she turned around, her heart pounding in her chest while she breathed in the cool air. She saw the blue woman looking at her from the alley, golden eyes wide and mouth open in what looked like genuine shock. Then that shock morphed into a large smile while slipping the knife into her pants pocket.

She gave Lena a small wave before she walked out of the alley and down the sidewalk as if she was just a late night stroller. Lena stood there for a minute, almost rooted to the spot, and that was when the pain started in her chest, and she let out a quiet gasp as she fell to her knee's, hand over her erratically beating heart.

And that was when she let her eyes close so she could finally get some rest.


	2. Normality

"Welcome to the Rat and Hog!"

Lena's greeting was returned with a happy smile and a wave of a hand. Humming a tune only she could hear, she went back to whipping down the bar table, a smile on her lips. She had been dying to get out of the hospital and back to work, but her boss was a stubborn man and would not allow an 'injured' employee to work.

She hadn't been that bad, it had just been a really bad panic attack, though she had ended up hitting her head on the sidewalk when she had fallen over. She had been in the hospital for two days, and boy was those two days boring as hell. But now she was back to work and she was happy to be back, as shown by the rows of clean shot glasses.

Though she would be lying if she did not say she was worried, she had been attacked in her own home by some mystery woman that got in without even breaking down her door or the lock itself. Even in the hospital, she had been rather jumpy around the staff. But she was not going to let some stupid fear keep her from having a bloody life.

She was broken out of her musing when she noticed a large shadow descending over her. Looking up, her smile seemed to double in size as she saw the old, white-haired tattooist taking a seat. He was a giant of a man, almost as big as her boss, standing at 7'6 ft tall and with muscles that could lift a boulder or two.

"Reinhardt! It's so good to see you!" She exclaimed, setting her rag and glass down so she could jump over the bar and into the giant's arms. He let out a bellowing laugh that seemed to shake the ground while he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her into the gray t-shirt he had on.

"Haha! It is good to see you fine and well my friend!" He said in his deep accented voice. Reinhardt Wilhelm, a giant man with a heart of gold, he owned Dragonslayer's, a tattoo parlor that was second to none, and was the best place to get a good tattoo, as Reinhardt was not one to half-ass anything, and always provided his very best.

Chuckling he set the small lady down behind the bar while folding his large hands in his lap. "You are well, my friend?" He asked, leaning in a bit, his one good eye showing his concern. Lean simply smiled up at him while nodding, holding up a thumbs up.

"I'm fine Rein, you know I'm made of stronger stuff!" She said while puffing up her chest. The concern, while still present, dulled down a bit and was replaced with mirth as Reinhardt laughed.

"That you are Lena! You know how this old man worries though!" He chuckled while Lena sat down a giant mug in front of Reinhardt and then grabbed a large pitcher of fine mead. And then came the long task of pouring the man his drink, almost emptying the whole pitcher into the mug. With only a quart of the mead left in the pitcher, Lena put it away to be refilled later while Reinhardt grabbed his drink with a grin.

He tilted his head and started to take large gulps of his drink, Lena watching in fascination as the German drank with ease. Then he pulled back and let out a satisfied sigh, his mustache a bit damp from the drink. "Now that's good mead! Can't find any better!" Reinhardt boasted with a smile.

"Glad you still like it, love!" Lena said with a smile. "So, how has Hana and Lucio doing? They still traveling?" She asked, the large man taking another gulp of mead before answering, a fond smile on his lips.

"Ja, the two youngsters are still on that boat, their next stop will be Switzerland! And they plan on convincing Angela to come visit!" He said with a broad smile, one that was beaten by Lena's shining smile. A loud squeal left her lips as she started to jump up and down, clapping her hands and drawing a few curious looks.

"Oh, it has been so long since I have seen Angie! Do you think she will need a place to stay? I wouldn't mind having her over for a day or five!" She said with a blush, that happy expression of her's turning into a blush while she went into a daze, large smile on her face. Reinhardt let out a bellowing laugh while slapping the bar.

"My friend! Your dirty mind will get you in trouble one of these days!" He said, chuckles still slipping from his mouth as he took another drink. Lena shook her head to quickly clear her thoughts, a giggle leaving her lips as she nodded.

"Most likely, but oh well!" She laughed along with Reinhardt before the two finally calmed down, and Lena went to clean another glass, humming a small tune while Reinhardt sat silent, enjoying the warm atmosphere of the pub. In truth, Lena was extremely grateful to have Reinhardt here, he always gave off the feeling of a protector. Plus it was always nice to have one of the few friends she had nearby.

Lena was very social, that much was true, but she never got close to the people she talked to, most not able to handle her hyperactive personality. And the few friends she did have were either traveling across the globe like Lucio and Hana or were just too busy to hang out with her like Winston and Fareeha.

She missed them terribly but knew it couldn't be helped, work was work after all, and at least she had Reinhardt and her bosses for company, the large man always stopping by once a day to see her, and after hours she hung out with one of her bosses, Jamison Fawkes, or just Jamie. They usually just chatted and drank till they could barely stand while filming Youtube videos for his channel.

His other boss, the large New Zealander, Mako Rutledge was a good friend if you need someone to talk to, but not so good if you wanted a conversation. Lena never minded his silence, happy to talk for the both of them. Plus he made one hell of a salad. But still, she wanted to see some of her other friends, like Angela...

The sudden feeling of a large hand on her shoulder were what snapped her out of her thoughts, and she snapped her head to the side to see the large, hulking bar owner, face scarred left and right, and his beady eyes were on her's while the rest of his face was covered by a medical mask, not surprise seeing as the man was easy to catch any kind of airborne virus.

"Oh! Hey, there boss!" She said happily while glancing in front of her, and saw Reinhardt was gone, most likely back at work. And when she looked down she saw she was still cleaning the same glass. Smiling sheepishly up at her boss she quickly sat the glass down and reached for another one. "Hehe, sorry bout that, got a bit lost in thought."

The large man let out a small grunt, acknowledging that he could have guessed that, then he pointed a large thumb towards the clock on the wall, showing it was close to her shifts end. Giving him a small nod, she went back to cleaning the glasses while Mako lumbered away into the back, where he and Jamie worked.

A small yawn left her lips, and she finally realized how tired she was. Putting down the last glass, she went to the back and headed to the changing room. Once inside, she noticed a small note on her locker, and the familiar, scrawly writing on it.

'Wait for me Ticky, Mako wants me to drive you home.' - Jamie

With a small pout, she put the note down and opened her locker so she could put on some of her street clothes, which consisted of a bright orange t-shirt with a falcon on the right side of the chest, a pair of tight blue jeans, and her worn out running shoes. With those on, she grabbed her bomber jack and slipped it on.

She went outside and was happy to see her 'ride' was already ready. Leaning against a rusty looking van was a man that would make anyone nervous, from his amber eyes to the maniacal look in them. He had a narrow face and long wisps of singed hair that stuck up this way and that. He had on a ratty long sleeve and ripped cargo shorts that showed his busted prosthetic leg, while his prosthetic arm was in full few, looking just as mangled as the leg.

Jamie looked up, and his permanent looking smile grew as he saw her. "Oi! Ticky!" He called out, his voice having a thick Australian accent. "Bout time! Ready to get goin?" He asked while hopping into the driver's seat of the van. Lena smiled and rushed to the back, throwing open the door to see her home away from home.

Inside the back of the van was a rather well built 'room'. A green, patched up couch was all around the left side of the van, and on the other side was a laptop, speakers, and a mini fridge that Jamie had hooked up to the van's battery. Giggling she got inside, closing and latching the back doors shut before flopping down on the couch.

She had lived in this van for a better part of a year while she and Jamie were going through Highschool. They had been seniors, and both had no home, both for different reasons. So they had talked to a slightly younger Mako, and he had hooked them up with an old van that could barely move.

But Jamie was a genius when it came to mechanics, and after a few weeks, they had their own mobile home. They didn't mind sleeping in the same space either, both being interested in the same sex helping, they were just too close to think of each other in any other way. The best way to explain it would be a brother-sister bond.

"So I was thinkin, maybe a refrigerator next? Would need to find enough shite, but I'm sure I could blow it to smithereens!" Jamie said, with Lena nodding while lounging on the couch, the van moving through the quite roads.

"Sounds good! Oh! Maybe fill it with something?" Lena suggested, causing the explosive-obsessed man to cackle.

"Yeah! Fill it with bugs or spray cans! Imagen the flames on it if we filled it with spray paint!" He laughed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Lena giggled along with him while she let her eyes shut and enjoy the comfortable ride, and didn't even notice sleep take her until she was softly snoring.


	3. Mako the Detective

Tap tap tap

A small yelp left Lena's lips as the sudden noise made its way to her ears, her heart hopping into her throat while her head snapped to the side to face her apartment window, and saw the small, yellow bird on the outside railing, lightly tapping her window with its beak. Once it registered that the sound had indeed been the bird and not a killer, Lena let out a breath of relief.

And promptly let her head fall, landing on her wooden dining table, causing her pen to bounce and roll to the floor. She let out a loud groan, eyes closed tight as she let out her verbal aggravation, and did so for a few seconds. Then she went silent and just stayed there.

'Bloody hell...' She heard her inner voice growl, anger laced in its tone. 'That's the third time I have been scared by a bird...in fact, I swear that was the same bird.' Sighing she slowly lifted her head, eyes on the paper laid out in front of her. She looked at the headline, then to the picture, and finally let out a small, stressful sigh.

 **Husband Found Murdered. Wife Wounded. Daughter Nowhere To Be Seen.**

The picture was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, with his throat blurred out, meaning it was either slit open wide enough to need a censor, or worse. The next picture was of a woman, twenty-eight it looked like, with fiery red hair. Her left eye was covered by an eyepatch, and surrounded by slightly darker skin, bruising.

Normally she wouldn't ponder too much about something like this, as messed up as it was. These things happened, even though they shouldn't. But it was hard to ignore a murder that was close to her apartment complex, and the fact that it didn't look like a break in as if the murderer had just appeared, only made her more fearful.

Growling she tore the paper in half before crumbling it up into a ball and throwing it towards the trash can, only to miss. This seemed to only add fuel to her anger as she stood up, chair squeaking loudly against the tiled kitchen floor. With a frustrated huff, Lena made her way to the living room, making sure to grab her six pack of cheap beer off the table.

As she walked into her living room, she let her eyes shoot over to the fire escape, which she had kept unlocked after she had gotten back from the hospital. With a small grunt, she let the six-pack fall onto her couch and made her way over to the window, and grabbed the lock, giving it a sharp turn.

"I'm not gonna be afraid of that bitch." She whispered to herself and turned around to get started on that beer. And get started she did, flopping down onto the couch next to the six pack, she wrapped her fingers around the neck of one of the bottles, lifting it out of the case and cracking it open.

In no time at all, that bottle was empty and on the table, and a second was already being chugged down, her eyes sealed shut so she could ignore the foul taste that she would most likely be tasting in the morning. Once empty she let out a gasp of breath and sat the bottle down, and reached for another one.

Mako Rutledge was a man of extreme height and weight, with enough strength to bend metal, it came to some surprise that the man was so quiet and reserved. Living in a small house, with little to own, he was a simple man. But he was not without friends, having three very close ones. One of them was Angela Ziegler, a doctor who had helped him when he was having troubles with his lungs. The two bonded over their love of classical music and old movies, and a friendship had been formed.

And that friendship had lead to his second best friend, Lena Oxton. It was shocking how the large, quiet man could get along with the hyperactive speedster, but the two were still rather close, which had helped get her the job at his pub. They usually met up for movie nights or just dinner to talk about the going on's of the world.

But his closest friend was Jamison. The explosive-obsessed man was like a brother to him, even if he didn't show any outward affection for him, he was protective of the man. They had both been in Australia's outback during the Omnium explosion, and the radiation that leaked through all of the outback had affected them both. Jamison, with his obsession and twitchy movements, and Mako, with skin strong enough to stop a bullet, and disfigurement that he hid under many layers of cover up.

When he heard about the attack on Lena, fury like none other had gripped his heart, and he was ready to tear the culprit apart with his bare hands. And he still planned on doing so, call after call had been made. many shady contacts that he still had were used to find out about the woman who had attacked Lena, and he was slowly getting a profile on the woman.

That was why he was currently walking down the dark streets of Kings Row, his large body covered in a leather jacket, and an AC/DC shirt under it, a gift from Jamie. His steel-toed boots seemed to make the ground shake with each step he took, and not many wanted to be near him, his mouth and nose covered by a medical mask that kept him from breathing in anyone else's germs.

His long, white hair was tied into its usual ponytail and was probably the only elegant thing about him. His destination was a small motel that looked like it would fall apart any moment. His large boot was soon on creaking steps and he walked up to the second part of the motel, his eyes on the door with number 14 on it.

And then the sound of splintering wood echoed through the night as Mako's large fist slammed into it, blowing it off its hinges and breaking it in two at the same time. In the room stood a surprised looking Amelia Lacroix, age 32, of French descent, hands covered in blood and a corpse on the bed. Nearby was a red haired girl who looked to be twenty, bound and gagged and knocked out cold.

" _Quel est le-!?_ " Her eyes widened as she saw the giant of a man, walking into the room, his giant boots shaking the wooden floor. Quickly Amelia stood, knife in hand, and a smirk on her lips. "Well well, who might you be?" She cooed, her voice like silver. Mako didn't reply, he just kept on walking towards her, his large body easily blocking off the open doorway. "The silent type? Well then, let's make you scream!"

With that, she lunged forward, as quick as a spider would lunge for prey, and she jammed the knife into his chest, tearing into his shirt, but sinking only a very inches into his thick skin, a grunt leaving his lips, and a surprised look once more replaced Amelia's face, right before she was backhanded by the large bar owner, sending her crashing into the wall.

But she was quick on her feet, glaring at the brute, her knife still lodged in his chest, with only a small trail of blood leaking from the wound. He started to lumber towards her, but she was a lot faster and nimbler than him, jumping onto the bed and corpse and then towards the window, crashing through it, and hissing from the pain of glass in her skin.

Mako let out an aggravated grunt as he watched her, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to keep up with her. Looking around the room, he sighed before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. All the police would know, is he was staying next door, heard a commotion, and tried to help.

The motel owner owed him some favors anyway.


End file.
